Flowers for a ghost
by defying the stars
Summary: Edward's family was brutally murdered by Charles Swan, the boss of an underworld syndicate, and he vowed revenge. There was only one complication in the way of his plan to avenge his family- Bella Swan.
1. Sept 2000

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

**A/N: This story has been stuck in my head for so long I can't even remember when I started thinking about it. While I can't promise that I'll update frequently (since I have another incomplete story to be responsible for, and school), I just want to pen down the first chapter and get your thoughts. I do hope you like it ;)**

Brief summary: Edward's family was brutally murdered by Charles Swan, the boss of an underworld syndicate, but somehow Charles took pity on him and took him in. Thereafter, he was brainwashed, trained and educated to be a member of Charles' triad. Unbeknownst to Charles, Edward remembered everything that happened to his family, and vowed revenge. However, there was a small complication in the way of Edward's plan to avenge the deaths of his family- Bella Swan.

**_September 2000_**

Edward woke up with a start. He panted heavily, gripping his pillow tightly to his chest as he tried to erase the bloody scenes in his mind.

He had a nightmare.

The piercing scream from the faceless woman in his dream rang in his ears.

Tiredly, he wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. It was too hot.

Edward also realised belatedly that it was too quiet.

There was no whirring of the ceiling fan.

He blinked and looked up.

The ceiling fan had stopped.

Then, he peered around his room and realised that he could not spot the blinding red of his digital clock.

It was almost completely dark, aside from the little light streaming through from his bedroom window.

"Shut up, woman," an unfamiliar voice hissed.

There was a woman sobbing. Edward froze on his bed.

"Please...please don't hurt Edward." Elizabeth Masen pleaded, her voice shaking treacherously.

Blood drained from Edward's face. His mother.

His mother was scared.

Had someone invaded their home? A thief? Was there a burglary?

Where was his father?

Something told Edward that there was danger. He wanted desperately to go out into the living room and find his mother.

But he knew better.

He wouldn't be able to save his mother, and might even cause more trouble for her by appearing in the living room.

He needed to hide.

Unthinkingly, he quietly crept off his bed and hid under it.

It was uncomfortable, and because of the darkness, he couldn't see. But Edward refused to budge an inch. He realised that he was shaking violently.

"Where are the documents?" The invader growled.

"I...I have no idea what you're talking about..." Edward's mother whispered.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" The man roared.

Edward jumped to his voice.

Tears leaked from his eyes. "Mom..." he sobbed quietly to himself.

"Search the son's room," the man ordered.

Footsteps could be heard, approaching Edward's room.

Edward shut his eyes tightly, willing for all of this to be a bad dream. He would wake up, and his mother would be there, comforting him, telling him that everything was all right.

He opened his eyes again.

He was still hiding under the bed.

"No! Don't go there! Don't hurt him!" Elizabeth screamed, running into Edward's room.

"Get out of the way, woman!"

"Where's your son?"

"I'll kill you!"

There was a sickening crunch, and Elizabeth Masen fell to the ground, sobbing.

Edward stuffed a fist in his mouth to stifle his scream. His mother had fallen to the ground, her head bleeding.

Elizabeth widened her eyes when she caught sight of her little boy under the bed.

But she kept silent.

Edward saw the emotions swimming in his mother's eyes. Love. Fierce determination. She was pleading with him to take care of himself.

Edward sobbed quietly, his fist still in his mouth. He tasted blood.

"Where's the son?"

"Is she dead?"

Edward saw his mother being flipped around like a dead fish, and then several shots were made.

He could not stop the blood curdling scream that escaped from his throat as he watched his mother being killed. Her body jerked awkwardly as every shot was made. Her eyes became glassy, and her head fell to the side.

He lifeless eyes bored into Edward's.

Edward let out a loud sob.

"He's under there."

"The rest of you, search for the documents."

"Bloody waste of time. Fucking woman." Another man muttered crudely.

Edward's eyes widened as someone stretched an arm under the bed and dragged him out.

The man let out a menacing laugh as he pulled out his gun.

Edward felt his heart beat faster than ever before, and he knew he was going to die.

"Stop." A quiet voice rang out.

In the dim light, Edward saw a man, with hard brown eyes. His lips hardened into a thin line.

"Leave him."

"But -"

"Leave him," he repeated.

Edward felt himself being dropped to the ground. He caught one last sight of the emotionless brown eyes, and then everything became black.

**A/N: What do you think?**


	2. Sept 2010

**A/N: Hi, as some of you might know (if you've been reading my other story Becoming Mrs Cullen), I'm in the midst of preparing for a major exam, so I won't have time to update regularly. I realise that I haven't been updating this story very often because of my other commitments and because of BMC, so I thought that before I go on a hiatus, I should give you guys an update for you to anticipate future chapters. **

**I hope you like this ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

**_Ten years later, September 2010_**

He clenched his jaw, his mouth set into a thin line of determination. His eyes locked onto his target, narrowing in concentration. His arms were raised, poised in position, as his fingers were closed around the cold weapon in his hands.

A loud shot echoed around the room as Edward pressed the trigger. Edward barely blinked.

He allowed a small smirk to slip onto his face when he saw that a hole had punctured the moving cardboard cut out of a man before him directly at the heart.

"Well done." A cold voice echoed around the enclosed area, satisfaction leaking into its tone. The thin voice carried itself across to Edward, "As usual, you've performed excellently."

"Thank you," Edward replied, his voice emotionless. He turned to face Felix, his face revealing nothing.

"Till today, I have no idea what Charles was thinking when he took you in. But I must say, it's one of the best decision he's made." Felix raised his brow thoughtfully.

Edward kept silent as he tucked the gun into his jacket.

He turned to hide the wry smile that was on his face. Felix would find out later that he was gravely wrong.

"I shall take my leave." Edward spoke quietly, tilting his head slightly in a polite nod as he left the room.

Walking briskly to his room, Edward allowed himself to collapse onto his bed with a loud exhalation. He eyed the surveillance camera at the corner of his room, knowing that his every move was being monitored. The people watching would most likely just pass off his action as fatigue.

Closing his eyes, Edward leaned back on the headboard as he slowly ran through everything that he had been through in the past ten years.

_Seven year old Edward woke up, disoriented, as he discovered himself in a dark, cold and unfamiliar room._

_A pair of dark, brown eyes met his, and Edward very nearly screamed. Instead, he shuddered at the cold eyes. _

_"Where am I?" Edward asked in a small voice._

_He tried to work out in his mind if he had seen those eyes before. They seemed so familiar..._

_Then, Edward remembered the horrifying death of his mother. He felt his mouth open and his eyes fill with tears._

_He tried to wrap the idea of his parents being dead around his head._

_"I'm Charles." The man with the cold eyes said, his eyes unchanging as he wacthed Edward's face sink into realisation and despair._

_Edward's eyes flickered back to the Charles' face. "Why..."_

_"Your parents made a mistake. They had to be removed."_

_Edward flinched at his cold voice. Everything about the man was unfeeling, cruel and sinister._

_"Why am I here?" Edward hated how his voice was soft and meek. He hated the way his voice wobbled._

_"I spared your life. I could have killed you." Charles paused, watching the young boy's face. "But I didn't."_

_"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST KILL ME!" Edward yelled, his small fists shaking. Tears ran down his cheeks. _

_Charles did not even blink at the boy's sudden outburst. "Would you rather I killed you? Do you want to die?"_

_Edward breathed heavily, tears streaked on his face. "AT LEAST I WOULD BE WITH MY PARENTS!"_

_"I decided to keep you. And I will keep to that decision." Charles speaks softly. "From now on, I will feed you, educate you, and train you. You will see this place as your home, your school and your life. You will work for me."_

_Edward kept silent._

_"Now, drink this," Charles produced a bottle. Edward glared at it warily._

_"I won't kill you. I would have done so earlier if I wished to. Drink this." Charles said wearily._

_Edward did not budge._

_"Don't test my patience."_

_Edward hesitantly took the drink, unscrewing the bottle quickly and downing it in one shot. If it was supposed to cause him pain, he would rather have it over and done with, the sooner the better._

_Unexpectedly, Edward did not feel any pain. Instead, he fainted._

Edward remembered waking up to be informed that a microchip was inserted into his body to serve as a tracking device.

Then, he spent the last ten years undergoing training, brainwashing and being educated on the organisation he was worked for.

There were five others like him, but Edward rarely spoke to them. All he knew about them was that they were trained since birth, and had no idea who their parents were. They regarded the hellhole where they were trained as their home, and saw Charles as their benefactor.

They had never seen the outside world, unlike Edward.

The trainers were also more wary of Edward because of that fact, and believed that Edward would rebel against them. However, Edward gradually managed to gain their trust.

He fed the counselors sent to brainwash him with the right answers, and he performed his best during training sessions. The trainings were excruciating, but Edward went through the pain and his efforts paid off.

His shooting trainer, Felix, already considered him to be the best pupil under his tutelage. His martial arts instructor Caius, believed that Edward possesed the best skills and agility among the recruits. Despite having spent seven years less then the other recruits in training, he was easily the best among them.

Edward also underwent tracking lessons, conducted by his trainer Jane, and they were taught how to decode messages, stalk people effectively, draw information highly guarded documents, hack into computer systems and break into houses. It was in such tracking lessons did Edward pay the most attention, as he knew that the lessons would be beneficial to him in the long run.

He could not wait for the day when his trainers felt he was ready to participate in missions and operations, he could not wait for the day where he could finally get out of this hellhole and into the outside world again, he could not wait for the chance where he could finally have his revenge.

**A/N: Really short, I know. But I'll be back with a longer update, after my exams which end on the 16 NOVEMBER! I've got a rec here to tide you over while you wait for the next update. Read Ladder to the Sun by Rosybud, becuase it's such a beautiful story.**


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